Book Seven: Chapter 137

“Do you think the others can’t handle what’s going on at home?” Mike asked, leaning back against a jagged volcanic rock. He tried to keep his voice level, but the nagging worry about his household—a motley crew of monsters, magic users, and misfits—was clawing at the back of his mind.

Ratu glared at him, her expression hardening instantly. Her eyes, usually a warm and intelligent amber, narrowed into sharp, serpentine slits that flickered with an inner light. “I don’t doubt their abilities for a single second,” she declared, her voice resonating with the ancient authority of her kin. “Between Lily’s cunning and Tink’s... explosive ingenuity, the house is a fortress. But I do wonder what we’re missing in the larger tapestry. Look at the sequence, Mike. Everything that’s happening now starts with Captain Francois coming for the eggs. The ‘why’ of his greed doesn’t matter; men like that are always hungry. Rather, I’m interested